Show-box for hats



(No Model.)

J. RINDSBERG.

SHOW BOX FOR HATS.

UNirE STATES -ATENT Fries.

SHOW-BOX FOR HATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,475, dated December 18, 1883.

Application filed June 7, 1883.

To ail whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH RINDSBERG, of Richmond, in the county of Henirico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Boxes; and I do hereby declare thefollowing tobe afull clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in hat-boxes; and it consists in a box which has the two ends rigidly secured to a portion of the circular body, in combination with a sliding or movable portion of the circular body, which is held between the two end pieces, and which moves circularly around the stationary part of the body for the purpose of opening and closing the box, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to produce a box which is especially intended for holding hats, and which is made to open from the front while upon the shelf, so that it will display all of the goods within it at a glance, and thus prevent the necessity of having to take the box down, place it upon the counter, and open it.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken through the center of the box, showing the box closed. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the box open.

' Fig. 3 is a side elevation, showing the box complete.

A. represents the top, B the bottom, and O the stationary portion, of the box.

The head and bottom of the box will be made of wood or any suitable material which is not readily injured by being handled, and which are made larger in diameter than the stationary part of the box.

The stationary part 0 of the box is made circular, as shown, and may form either more or less of a semicircle, accordingto the size of the opening which may be desired for the purpose of displaying the hats or other goods contained in the box.

The sliding circular portion 1) of the box is made just enough larger than the stationary part to fit snugly around it when the box is opened, and this movable part may form either more or less than a semicircle, according to (No model.)

the size of the opening which it is to close. In order to keep this movable part in position, and at the same time guide it in all of its movements, it is made grooved in its top and bottom edges, and these grooves a catch over suitable guides, O, which are secured to the top and bottom pieces at any suitable distance apart. Friction-rollers may be placed either in the top or bottom edges of this movable piece, so as to enable it to move more smoothly; or friction-rollers may be placed upon the top or bottom of the box for the part to move upon; or the parts may be constructed and arranged in any other way that may be preferred, so as to cause them to move readily and easily when the box is being opened and closed. I do not limit myself in this respect, for this is a mere detail of construction, which may be varied and changed at will without departing from the spirit of my invention.

This box is intended, especially, for use among hatters, and its object is to merely slide the circular portion around, so as to disclose the contents of the box while it is sitting upon=the shelf, and thus prevent the necessity of having to take the box down, set it upon the counter, and then remove the cover to see what size and style of hat the box contains. As this circular movable part can be pushed around just far enough to disclose the goods, and then instantly shut up if the box does not contain the proper kind, it will readily be seen that it dispenses with all necessity of having to take the box down from the shelves and handle the goods, at the risk of spoiling them or breaking the box. This circular slid ing piece may either be made solid, like the other portions of the box, or it may be made of a wooden frame containing a curved plate of glass; or the whole piece may be made of glass, so as to allow the goods to be inspected without even the trouble of opening the box. When the circular portion is moved around out of the way, all of the goods in the box are displayed, and a person can at once select the article desired Without having to remove the box from the shelf or unnecessarily handlethe goods.

This box is especially advantageous to storekeepers, not only for saving time, but saving the box in which hats and other articles are kept, and in preventing the goods from becoming soiled where the box has to be set upon the counter and unnecessarily opened.

Any number of these boxes can be placed one upon the top of the other, and the goods of one box taken out of it without having to remove either the box itself or the boxes which may be placed upon its top.

This box also possesses many other advantages, which are readily apparent to storekeepers, but which need not be enumerated here.

Iam well aware that show-cases for holding spools of thread and boxes having glass fronts are old, and this I disclaim. My invention differs from these in having the semicircular body remain stationary, while the semicircular door or cover is made to move in a circle around it, and is kept in place by means pieces, between which it is held.

'Having thus described my invention, I

claim- In a hat-box, the combination of the top and bottom parts, A 13, provided with projections O, and the stationary curved body 0, which is rigidly secured between the parts A B,with the curved sliding piece D, which forms the door, and which is provided with the grooves a in its top and bottom edges to catch over the projections 0 substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOSEPH RINDSBERG.

WVitnesses HERMAN W LLERs'rEIN, EMANUEL ULLMAN. 

